Edo LG polls: Akhigbe predicts more bloodshed

BENIN — FORMER Chief of General Staff, Admiral Mike Akhigbe (rtd.), has warned that there may be more bloodshed in his home town, Fugar, if the police drags Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, chairmanship candidate in Etsako Central Local Government Area, Mr. Emmanuel Momoh, to court on the eve of the council elections.

Momoh was arrested by the police and whisked to Abuja following the death of two persons and destruction of houses and cars after ACN and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, youths clashed in the area.

Leaders of ACN in the area had accused the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadohme, of masterminding the arrest.

Vanguard gathered, however, that Momoh was flown back to Benin, yesterday, while the police had perfected arrangement to charge him to court over the killings and destruction witnessed in the area.

However, Akhigbe, who condemned the police for what he described as biased handling of the matter, queried the decision to arrest the ACN candidate alone, when he was not “even at the scene of the incident.”

He added: “And I strongly kicked against taking him to Abuja. What is the interest of the Presidency in this matter?

“They want to cook up charges against Momoh, but that will be dangerous because our people will react. I am appealing to the President to deploy a competent Assistant Inspector-General of Police to monitor the elections.”

“No matter what they tried to do, our people will vote the candidate of their choice. Rather than arrest the candidate of ACN, why have the people not been able to arrest the perpetrators of this crime?

“The police is giving the impression that they are candidate in this election and their actions so far are shameful.”